Self-closing receptacle



Nov. 13, 1928.

W. R. MEUTTMAN SELF CLOSING RECEPTACLE Filed Sept. 17, 1926 2 Sheets- Sheet 1 25 as so 5 '2 b I W grwentoac Mum Rqger/euffman, 85, MQ J I V Patented Nov. 13, 1928.

UNITED STATES.

WILLIAM ROGER MEUTTMAN, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

SELF-CLOSING RECEPTACLE.

Application flled september 17, 1926. Serial No. 136,150.

This invention relates to improvements in a waste paperandtrash receptacle and has for an object the provision of such device wherein self-closing covers are provided, to the end that the receptacles will be closed against scattering of dust and papers by Winds and the like.

Another object is to provide a device of this kind wherein self-closing doors or lids are provided on opposite sides of the container cover and are independently movable so as to eliminate the dan er of injury to the hand of one person, at suc 1 times as it may happen that two persons may be placing waste paper therein at opposite sides and at the same time.

Another object is to provide counter-balanced self-closing doors which will be freely movable through the paper receiving opening in the container and which may be conveniently arranged to assume a closed position in a plane with the surface to which they are pivoted so that the receptacles may be laced upon sloping surfaces without having t 1e lids thereof hang ajar. 7

Another object is to provide a novel form of cover for such receptacles, and one which may be economically manufactured.

Another object is to provide a sturdy, rigid receptacle of the class referred to and one which is provided with means for receiving display signs and retaining them against unauthorized removal by the provision of a locked cover on the receptacle.

Another object is to provide a novel and inexpensive locking means for securing the cover to the receptacle.

Another object is to provide such a device. wherein a removable receptacle or container may be disposed and into which dbris and the like will be directed by an overhanging funnel shaped portion of the cover. Theseand other objects are attained by the means described herein and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of a device of my invention, part being broken away.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the device shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view on line 33 of Fig. 2, parts being broken away.

Fig. 4 is a view taken on line 44 of Fig. 1,.

Fig. 5 is a view on line 55 .of Fig. 3.

In this herein disclosed embodiment of the invention, there is provided a receptacle housing having a hinged cover which is adapted to be locked to the housing. The cover has in- I ing. The body of 16 at the base of the side walls dependently movable counter-balanced doors or closing members which may be readily moved about their pivotal mountings so that they may be pushed inwardly with the hand to permit .depositing of waste paper and the like in the housing, and will automatically assume a closed position when the hand is withdrawn. A removable container of any suitable type is provided within the housing and may be removed by opening the cover and lifting the container bodily from its housthe housing is of rigid constructlon, reinforced at the corners with a novel corner piece which together with edge portions of the side walls forms a recess for receiving removable display signs.

The housing comprises a base or bottom 8, preferably square in plan, and provided with upturned flanges 9 at the edges thereof. The side walls 10 are inwardly spaced from the flanges 9 of the base, and comprise sheet metal. sections having their opposite vertical edges turned at an obtuse angle and then bent back at an acute angle so as to provide a short flange 11 parallel to the wall 10 and spaced therefrom. The intermediate section 12 abuts one face of a corner member 13, and is secured thereto by suitable rivets 14, which secure the intermediate portion 12 of an adjacent wall to the opposite side of the corner strip. The corner piece or strip 13 is provided by bending a flat strip of metal upon itself to provide a double thickness of metal for a distance, each section of metal being bent backward at an angle of substantially 45 degrees to provide a flange 15 extendingpn a plane with the bottom flanges 9 of the base. The bottom edges of side walls 10 are provided with outwardly disposed U shaped flanges 16 disposed in a plane with the longitudinal flanges 11 thereof. From the fore oing it will be apparent that the space between flanges 11 and 15 at the sides, and flanges 9 and 16 at the bottom of the housing provide between them grooves or ways 17 and 18 in which a display panel may be slidably and removably mounted. Integral angular feet 19 are secured to the bottom 8 of the housing by suitable rivets 20 which extend through the top sections 21 of the feet 19, through bottom wall 8 and through the U shaped portion 10. Additional rivets 22 may be inserted through bottom wall 8 and the top 21 of each foot 19 if desired. A fiat binding strip 23 is secured about the corner pieces 13 at the top of the housing and has secured thereto, in any suitable manner, one hinge portion 24, the complementary member 240 of which is secured to the cover The cover 25, in the present embodiment is pyramid shaped and presents four triangular faces which have their bases in substantial parallelism with the flat binding strip 23. Referring to Figs. 1 and 2 the triangular portions 26 and 27 may be formed of one piece of sheet metal, each having an inwardly extending flange 28 from the edge of which an inwardly and downwardly disposed flange 29 extends. The hinge members 240 of a plurality of hinges may be secured to the external face of flange 28 on one of the sections 27 for hingedly mounting the cover on the housing. One flange 54 on each of the triangular sections 26 overlaps an edge of an adjacent triangular portion 27, suitable rivets being used to secure the parts together. It will be readily understood that the parts may be either additionally or solely secured together by welding or 111 any other suitable manner. The triangular sections 26 are each provided with an aperture 30 bounded by turned over edges 31 and 32 parallel with the base'33 of triangular portion 26 and edges 34 parallel with the angular edges 35 at the junctions of adjacent triangular portions 26 and 27. A freely swinging door 36 having inwardly struck flanges 37 and 38, is pivotally mounted adjacent turned edge 32 by means of a fixed shaft 39 journaled in suitable straps 40 secured to the inner face of the triangular member 26. The rolled or turned flange 41 of the door 36 is interrupted or cut away to provide a space 42 through which an integral threaded rod 43 extends.

This threaded rod 43 may be welded to the axle 39 or otherwise rigidly secured thereto. The turned flange 41 is rigidly secured to the axle 39 so that the door 36 and threaded rod 43 are disposed at an acute angle one to the other. A counter-weight 44 has a suitably tapped bore therein for receiving the threaded rod 43 and is adapted to be moved toward and away from the intersection of rod 43 with axle 39. A suitable lock nut 45 serves to retain the counter-weight 44 in adjusted position.

By reference to Fig. 1 it will be apparent that when the weight 44 is disposed at a given position on threaded rod 43,,the door 36 and rod 43 will assume a given position of balance relative to a true horizontal plane. When the receptacle is placed upon a substantially horizontal surface, the door 36 may be suitably counterbalanced to assume a position in a plane with its supporting triangular section 26 of the cover. This is done by moving the weight 44 toward or away from the axle. If the device, with the counter-weight in its adjusted position as just described be tilted, it would follow that the doors 36 would not assume a closed position, but would again asparts are so sume their position of balance in relation to true horizontal. When it is necessary to place the receptacle on an inclined surface the weights 44 ma be readily adjusted to change the relation'o balance between the parts so that the doors will assume a proper closed position. The structure of both doors 36 and thegmountin s thereof are similar, and the isposed that both doors may be pushed inwardly at the same time without interference of the parts of one with those of another.

Any type of removable container may be placed within the housing of the receptacle for example a canvas bag indicated by reference numeral number 46 and shown in dotted lines in Fig. 3 may be suspended from suitable hooks 47 in the corners of the housing. A metallic container or drum may be placed in the housing in lieu of a bag.

A lockin means is provided by securing a flexible latc member 48 to the inner face of the side wall 10 opposite the hinged mounting of the cover. Rivets 49 may serve for this purpose. The tapered flange 29 on the cover is apertured at 50 to permit a passage of the shouldered head 51 of latch 48 to pass therethrough and to snap over the open inside face of the flange 28 of the cover. An opening 52 in the triangular member 27 serves to admit a short rigid object or key K by means of which the shouldered head 51 of the latch may be pushed clear of the flange 28 so that the cover may be raised. As shown in Fig. 1, the aperture 52 may take the form of a key hole, in order to disguise the simplicity of operation of the locking means.

When the cover 25 is open the ways 17 are accessible from the to of the housing so that suitable display pane s may be dropped into such ways. When the cover is closed the top ends of the ways are closed by the flange on the cover so as to preclude removal of display panels from their mounting.

The ways 17 and 18 are spaced at a distance from the sides 10 of the housing structure so that there is provided an ample air space 53 between side wall 10 and a display panel D. The purpose of this structure is to provide protection for the display panels in the event of any possible fire which might be caused by the dropping of a lighted match, cigarette or the like into the receptacle.

While there has been shown herein one practical embodiment of the invention, it is not desired that the invention be limited to the specific structure shown. The device may also be made for use as a receptacle for laundry or it may be made with any approved housing structure with or without the feet 19.

What is claimed is:

1. In a waste receptacle the combination of a housing havingan apertured top portion, a swinging door movable through said aperture 1n both directions, a rod associated III with the door and disposed interiorly of the housing and an adjustable weight on the rod for counter-balancing the swinging door and retaining said door normally in a plane with the edges of the aperture in the top.

2. In a waste receptacle the combination of an apertured cover, a swinging door mounted at the top of the aperture for movement in opposite directions through said aperture, a rod movable with the door and disposed interiorly of the cover and an adjustable weight on the rod positionable for normally retaining the door in position for closing the aperture.

3. In a device of the class described the combination of a plurality of W shaped corner strips, side walls flanged at the edges and secured to the corner strips for providing ways wherein display panelsmay be mounted, and a cover having-a flange member for closing the ways in the sides.

4. In a device of the class described the combination of a housing, a removable container in the housing, a hinged cover having a funnel like flange overhanging the removable container, said cover having an aperture therein, a swinging door movable through the aperature in the cover, a rod associated with the door, "*movable therewith and normally disposed between the aperture and the container, and an adjustable weight on the rod for retaining the door in position for closing the aperture, inward movement of the door serving to move the rod away from the aperture for permitting passage of articles through the aperture into the removable container.

5. In a waste receptacle the combination of a housing, a cover having an apertured inclined wall, a door mounted for free movement through the aperture, and a counterweight disposed interiorly of the cover and adapted for adjustment for retaining the door flush with the inclined wall.

6. In a waste receptacle the combination of a housing, a cover having opposite inclined sides, independent doors freely movable through the opposed inclined sides and counter-weights disposed between said sides and adjustable relative to the doors forindependently adjusting and retaining the doors in a plane with their respective inclined sides.

7. In a device of the class described the combination of a housing having side walls, corner strips having outwardly disposed flanges, flanges on the sidewalls disposed intermediate said sidewalls and the flanges of the corner strips and display panels slidably retained between said flanges and spaced from the sidewalls.

8. 'In a device of the class described the combination of a housing having sidewalls, a container in said housing and spaced from the sidewalls, an apertured cover having a flange overhanging the container, means for providing ways spaced outwardly from the side walls and display panels slidably retained in the ways, the overhanging flange on the cover serving to'close the ways against removal of the display panels.

9. In a device of the class described the combination of a cover body having opposed inclined apertured sides, pivotally mounted doors adapted to swing freely through the apertures in said sides and independent counter-weight members for the doors adjustable to position the doors in a state of swinging gravitational balance in the planes of the apertured sides and closing the apertures.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto subsgribed my name this 9th day of September, 1 26.

WILLIAM ROGER MEUTTMAN. 

